The Hidden Moon (2024)

Khen....Khen....Khen

Why, Khen, why?

Why did Mas have to keep calling your name in that irritating tone?

Why did you go back to the past and leave your computer? The internet was not invented, so what would you see? Where would you get connectivity? Why, did your battery last that long?

Why after showing how the story began, did you not recognize Mas as the boy in the library when you went back to the past?

Why was a ghost allowed to have sex with a human? If a maid had entered during the deed, what would she actually see?

Why did Khampaun refuse her husband before she found out about his lust for Sompho? Why did she blame Sompho and not the husband? Taking it out on the unwilling mistress never ends well?

Why was it important for Sompho to have her story told? Did it bring any meaning to their story?

Why was the repetition of Mas back story necessary when it did nothing to enhance the story?

Why did Mas ask Ken to bring the box during the party and openly speak to him? Wouldn't he appear to be mental laughing and speaking to himself? Especially in the age when cell phones and earpieces have not been invented as yet?

Why did the girl next to him not notice?

Why when all realised that they were dead, why did they have to meet in the dry bush before beginning their journey? Why didn't they go to collect him? Like "Bro, you're dead. Let's go?"

Why was Mas filming on the computer about his home when the info would have corroded with time if it's not preserved? Again, why would the computer exist in time travel?

Why (humor me) would Khen carry Mas to the future if he wasn't a ghost to time travel?

Why show the ending with their meeting but start the beginning with the death with a whole lot of disconnected fillers to elongate the story leading nowhere?

Why was a story with such promise end up being so nonsensical?

Why didn't the screenwriter and director have a chat with those from IFYLITA to see how it's done?

Why was Mas' acting so bad?

Why did I waste my time hoping that it would get better?

Why, hmmmm, why?

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Hunting House BL

Firstly, I must confess that I have a deeply irrational love for haunted house stories. There’s just something about creaky floorboards, ominous whispers, and the ever-present threat of being sucked into an evil mirror that fills my heart with joy. So, naturally, when I heard about a haunted house BL, I thought, “Well, this is clearly designed specifically for me!” Sadly, it turned out to be less of a custom-made masterpiece and more like a pair of ill-fitting shoes—full of potential, but ultimately just uncomfortable.

Acting

Now, I’ve seen a fair share of questionable acting in my time, especially from fresh-faced newbies who look like they’ve just wandered off the street and onto a set. So, to be fair, the acting here wasn’t bad per se. But it was, shall we say, thoroughly bland. Imagine a sandwich made with two pieces of plain white bread and nothing in between. That’s the kind of "meh" we’re talking about here. The whole cast had the energy of someone who just woke up from a nap and can’t quite remember what they’re supposed to be doing. A more experienced cast might have brought a bit more life into the haunted halls, or at least a little more fear into their eyes.

As for the lead chemistry, well… it was the sort of relationship where you could almost hear the background music urging you to believe in their connection, but deep down you knew they’d probably forget each other’s names in a week. Nothing particularly memorable to write home about.

Story

The story, on the other hand, was the sole reason I stuck with this show until the end. Mystery, thriller, horror—it had all the right ingredients. There were some genuinely interesting twists and turns that, at times, made me sit up and think, “Ah! A plot!” But the problem was in the execution, which was about as smooth as trying to ice skate on sand.

The director, bless his heart, was clearly a newbie, and I’m not entirely sure he knew how storytelling works—especially when trying to juggle so many genres. It felt like he had a box full of puzzle pieces, but none of them quite fit together. The pacing was, to put it kindly, chaotic. He couldn’t quite figure out how to build tension or momentum, which, for a horror/thriller, is a bit of a problem.

To sum it up, the story was the only saving grace for this drama, but the execution? A glorious mess. With the right director and a cast that knew how to express something beyond mild confusion, this could have been something truly special. As it stands, it’s more like a haunted house where the only thing scary is how much better it could have been.

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